> Voters are asking for two simple and reasonable items on the Save Menlo Initiative: Developers can only count real Open Space (within 4 feet of the ground - not upper story balconies), and the Initiative encourages balanced, mixed-use development, just not massive development (not exceeding 100K sq. ft. of office space per development).
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> We need a City Council that listens to residents. In creation of the Specific Plan, residents were loud and clear that a key requirement was to maintain the village character of Menlo Park. The proposed developments by Stanford and Greenheart are massive in size, have too much office space, are out of scale with all other development in Menlo Park and do not meet this fundamental requirement.
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> Save Menlo had 180 days to collect 1,780 registered Menlo Park voter supporters. Within a third of that time, they had a resounding 3000 voters from neighborhoods across the city and including newly registered voters. We need a City Council who is responsive to the community, not just developers, and who will hear what these voters are saying: Menlo Park needs balanced, mixed-use development - not massive development.
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> The City Council now has the opportunity to adopt these provisions. If they are unwilling to listen to the citizenry, then we need to elect a new council who will listen, when we go to the ballot in the fall and pass this Initiative.
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> Keep the village character - no massive developments.